Connection is something we all crave.Especially now more than ever.Yet we are currently being called upon to be with ourselves.

And connecting with ourselves is far more important in our lives.

For before we can truly to connect with others we have to be connected with ourselves.We have to be connected with our hearts.And connected to our bodies.To be connected with our soul as well.

When we know all sides of ourselves we learn what real connection is.

It is not just about knowing our good sides.And it is not just about finding our shadow.For both the light and the dark are within us all.Along with so much more.We are intricate being with many facets.Builders and destroyers.Kind and Mean.Selfish and Selfless.Fearful and Strong.We are all this and so much more.How can we connect to another human being if we do not connect to all these sides of ourselves?How can we recognize another human being if we do not recognize all that we have inside us?

Can we truly be present for another human being if we are not fully present to our own humanity?

When we are alone and with ourselves we can listen to our own thoughts.We can feel our emotions and the call of our bodies.Our struggles and our dreams are now right in front of us.If we are brave enough to look at them all, we can grow from it.We can learn to embrace it all and still keep moving.Being alone with ourselves is not easy.Yet the treasure that awaits us is so vast.When we stop looking outside of ourselves for distraction we find a richness within.The intricate tapestry that is our being is so full of life.All of our experiences are reflected in it.The totality of our desires, fears and dreams are there for us to learn from.When will we take the time to appreciate all of it?

How can we make the most of this quarantine and really be with ourselves?

It is a daily practice of accepting what is.Accepting what is true around us and what is true inside of us.Without being afraid to look at it in the daylight.Knowing that it is all there to serve us.As it has in the past to bring us to this point in time.We get to decide what to keep and what to let go of.We choose what we want to build upon and what to discard.This is a great gift that is forced upon us.A gift of presence with ourselves.To see ourselves in the unvarnished truth of who we really are.

And when we see ourselves for who we really are, we can see others for who they really are.

That is when we can learn to truly connect to another human being.Our humanity to their humanity.Seeing the truth of the person because we see the truth of ourselves.

~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant